Dylan Mahalingam is 16 years old, and in many ways he is a typical teenage boy. He plays sports, is a black-belt in karate, enjoys math and science in school, and loves to play musical instruments. But in one very important way, Dylan is anything but typical. You see, Dylan also spends a large amount of his time trying to help the world’s poor and improve quality of life all around the world!

Because of his passion for helping others, Dylan has participated in all kinds of service efforts. The projects he has played a significant part in include natural disaster relief, universal access to education, AIDS awareness, animal cruelty and endangerment, environment consciousness, and help for Tibetan children. In just 16 years, Dylan has accomplished more good than many achieve in a lifetime!

In this video, Dylan talks about his organization, Lil’ MDGs, which he started to help kids from around the world unite and work toward worldwide service goals.

Additional Resources:

Here’s an article that tells all about Dylan and his incredible accomplishments!

Here’s another article that tells about Dylan and his service projects.

Topics for Discussion:

How do you think Dylan has been able to accomplish so much in such a short time?

Do you have experience working on any of the same projects Dylan has? Which one(s)?

Take Action:

Visit Dylan’s website to learn about the many projects he is involved in and how you can get involved too!

Visit the website for Lil’ MDGs to learn how you can get involved with this amazing group!

Teacher Features:

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.

Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.